Folding shower door



May 29, 1956 A. R. FINKEL FOLDING 4SHOWER DOOR Filed May 14, 1955 25 Sheets-Sheen 1 INVENTOR. bmng *Ff/7 k e/ May 29, 1956 A. R. FINKEL FOLDING SHOWER DOOR I5 Sheets-Sheer.

`Filed May 14, 1953 May 29, 1956 A. R. FINKEL 2,747,200

FOLDING SHOWER DOOR Filed May 14, 1953 I5 Sheets-Sheet, 5

I VEN TOR. @bm F7hke/ www l" a 2,747,200 ce Patented May 29, 1956 FOLDING SHOWER DOOR Abram R. Finkel, Elkins Park, Pa.

Application May 14, 1953, Serial No. 355,051

1 Claim. (Cl. 4-148) My invention relates to folding enclosures for bathing facilities and pertains particularly to sectional folding members adapted to cooperate in extending position with a fixed section and to be adapted to close the open side of a bath-tub, recess or the like, with which the enclosure is associated and to fold back against the wall of the bathing compartment recess when not in use.

It is an object of my invention to provide a folding enclosure which may be disposed in water delecting relation to one edge or wall of a bathing facility with which the enclosure is associated to prevent water from escaping from the bathing facility when in use and the major portion of which will fold away from said edge or wall into a position when not in use, and which is conveniently accessible to the user.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sectional folding enclosure for a bathing facility which will cooperate with a wall portion along the exposed side of the bathing facility to effectively seal the bathing facility recess against the escape of water when in use and Which will fold inwardly over said bathing facility after use, thereby allowing water present on the bathing facility side of the enclosure to drain into the bathing facility itself.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sectional folding enclosure for a bathing facility which will cooperate with a fixed portion to provide a continuous closure along the exposed side of the bathing facility.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sectional folding enclosure for a bathing facility wherein the middle folding section is definitely positioned in all phases v of the folding operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sectional folding enclosure for a bathing facility wherein the middle folding section is retained by a ball type latching means.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sectional folding enclosure for a bathing facility that has sections of relatively small size thereby permitting ease of handling by the user.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sectional folding enclosure for a bathing facility which is easy to maneuver and is not a hazard when operated by small children.

Other objects of my invention are to provide an improved device of the character described which is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction and which provides the maximum protection to the area outside the enclosure and which is easy to operate.

With the above and related objects in View, my invention consists in details of construction as hereinafter shall be described, the description will be more readily understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a bathing facility enclosure embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the top meinber of the fixed portion of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View of the top member of the middle folding portion of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the top member of the wall mounted folding portion of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the bottom member of the fixed portion of the bathing facility enclosure as seen from the bathing facility side.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the bottom member of the middle folding portion of the bathing facility enclosure as seen from the bathing facility side.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the bottom member of the wall mounted folding portion of the bathing facility enclosure as seen from the bathing facility side.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the wall side of the xed portion of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. l() is a fragmentary sectional View of the adjacent upright members of the folding sections of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. ll is a fragmentary sectional view of the upright member of the wall mounted folding section of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B show the adjacent upright members of the iixed section and the middle section of the bathing facility enclosure.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional View of the adjacent upright members of the fixed section and middle folding section of the bathing facility enclosure showing the latching means and operation handles.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, I disclose a bathing facility enclosing device A exibly united by a top member 1 and a bottom member 2, said top and bottom members cooperating to maintain the different sections of the enclosure in definite space relationship with each other, with the bathing facility, and with the adjacent walls.

In the embodiment I have elected to describe and illustrate the bathing facility shown is a tub 40 and shower combination with the associated shower head 41, valves 42 for control of the water from the shower head, spigot 43 and valves 44 for facility all mounted so that it is surrounded by three tile covered walls 45.

A fixed section B is supported and definitely positioned by the top member 1, bottom member 2 and wail mounted member 3, said fixed section B is snugly held in said members by the packing 4. Said lixed section B is comprised of a glass panel 5 with an enclosing frame 6, said glass panel being snugly positioned in the frame 6 by the packing 7. An L-shaped strip 8 attached to the frame 6 and on the edge that is adjacent to the middle folding section of the enclosure is arranged to have its outer edge 9 engage with and act as a stop for the middle folding section C.

A middle folding section C is comprised of a glass panel 10 with an enclosing frame 1l, said glass panel being snugly positioned in the frame 11 by the packing.

A roller 13 is rotatably attached to the top member of the frame 11 of the middle folding section C, said top roller 13 is positioned on the frame so that it cooperates with the top member 1 of the bathing facility enclosure using said top member as a track when the middle folding section is moved from the closed to the open position or the reverse of this operation.

A second roller 14 is rotatably attached to the bottom member of the frame 11 of the middle folding section C, said bottom roller 14 is positioned on the frame so that it cooperates with the bottom member 2 of the bathing facility enclosure using said bottom member as a track when the middle folding section is moved from the closed to the open position or the reverse of this operation.

The middle folding section has attached to frame 1i edge a continuous type hinge 15, said hinge maintaining the middle folding section C in definite vertical space relationship with the wall mounted folding section D.

The wall mounted folding Vsection D is comprised of a glass panel 16 with an enclosing frame 17, said glass panel being snugly positioned in the frame 17 by the packing 18. The wall mounted folding section is definitely positioned in vertical space relationship by the continuous type hinge 19, said hinge being secured to the wall by bolts 20.

Drip deflectors 21 and 22 are secured to the bottom members of the frames 11 and 17 of the folding sections, said drip deectors are arranged to divert the water away from the bottom member 2, of the enclosure, and into the bathing facility when the enclosure is in use. Should some water tind its way into the trough of the bottom member 2 of the enclosure, a plurality of holes 23 enable the water to drip therefrom.

Handles 24 and 25 are provided attached to the inner and outer surface of the upright member of the frame 11 of the folding section C for maneuvering the folding sections C and D of the bathing facility enclosure. The inner handle is fitted with a ball type catch 26 in which a spring 27 exerts pressure on a rounded end plunger 28, said plungers rounded end intertting with a hole 29 in the keeper Sil to maintain the folding sections C and D of the bathing enclosure in position when the bathing facility enclosure is in the closed position.

A handle 31 secured to the upright member of the frame 11 of the middle folding section C is provided to assist the user to maneuver the folding sections of the bathing facility enclosure.

It is to be observed that in the embodiment of my invention, as illustrated and described, that the enclosure is of safe and practical construction, the retaining of the folding middle section C in all positions by the cooperation of the rollers 13 and 14 interitting with the top member 1 and the bottom member 2 adds much to the safe operation of the folding portion of the bathing facility enclosure. This arrangement also prevents torsional strains being placed on the different sections as is often common in devices of similar nature that are constructed.

It is to be noted that the panel B may be adjusted by sliding it in the member 17, 17 in order to provide for vertical misalignment. In other words, it sometimes happens that the door C and the panel B are not in proper alignment, and in such circumstances it is desirable to have provision for the panel B to be shifted horizontally or even tilted vertically so that the door C will come in proper alignment with the panel B.

Adjusting screws for tightening the panel B in position are provided and the tightening screws intert with elongated slots in order to enable the panel B to be shifted.

Although my invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

l claim as my invention:

A folding closure for use with a bathtub having its two ends abutting against opposing walls comprising a bottom track member, vU-shaped in cross-section and extending along the opposed bathtub side between the two opposing walls, a top track member U-shaped in cross-section spaced from and running between the opposing walls parallel to said bottom track member, a fixed section, a middle folding section, and a wall mounted folding section, each of said sections consisting of a glass panel packed with a surrounding rectangular frame, said fixed section being positioned in a fixed vertical plane in alignment with said top and bottom members and having one vertical edge secured to one of said opposing walls, the opposite vertical edge of said fixed section having an L-shaped strip adapted to act as a stop for said middle folding section, said wall mounted folding section having one yvertical edge hingedly mounted to the other of said opposing walls and being adapted to swing about a vertical axis flush with said bottom and top track members, said middle folding section having one free vertical edge and having one vertical edge pivotally mounted to the unsecured vertical edge of said wall mounted section, a pair of rollers rotatably supported about a vertical axis adiacent the free vertical edge of said middle folding section, one of said rollers being mounted upon the upper portion of said middle folding section and positioned within said top track member, the other of said rollers being mounted upon the lower portion of said middle folding section and positioned within said bottom track member, a compression spring actuated ball latch mounted upon the free vertical edge of said middle folding section and adapted to cooperate with a keeper affixed to said L-shaped strip on said xed section, and downwardly arcuate drip dellectors longitudinally extending along the bottom portion of each of said sections to divert water into the bathing facility.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 41,451 Streeter Feb. 2, 1864 1,746,983 Barr Feb. ll, 1930 2,331,822 Zechiel et al. Oct. l2, 1943 

